As semiconductor elements become more and more high-tech, requirement conditions in a process of manufacturing the semiconductor elements are getting more particular. Particularly, temperature control in deposition and etching processes are the most basic things, and one of the most important process variables. Recently, a semiconductor manufacturing process has become complicated in accordance with formation of a multilayer structure and miniaturization of line width, and control technology capable of satisfying a rapidly changing temperature profile of an electrostatic chuck is preferentially necessary before anything else in order to cope with the complicated process.
Patent Literatures 1 to 3 relate to temperature control devices for a semiconductor electrostatic chuck used to manufacture a semiconductor with a relatively simple structure in the related art. These heat or cool a heat medium supplied to a semiconductor chuck by using a thermoelectric element. The heat medium supplied to the semiconductor chuck is collected, then is cooled by using a thermoelectric element again, and then is circulated to a storage room.
In Patent Literature 1, each of a heating heat medium and a cooling heat medium is supplied to a mixing 3-way valve only as much as a necessary amount by using a separate 3-way valve, and the remaining heat medium is allowed to bypass. The heat medium as much as a necessary amount is mixed in the mixing 3-way valve, and then is supplied to the semiconductor chuck. The heat medium which is supplied to and then collected from the semiconductor chuck is distributed at a ratio of the initial supply, and is transferred to each heating and cooling heat medium storage room. However, it turned out that the device disclosed in Patent Literature 1 cannot cope with a recent semiconductor manufacturing process requiring temperature change of 2° C./second. It has been known that it is difficult to cope with rapid temperature change since the reaction time is slow, and also it is difficult to cope with a temperature range of a process wider than the prior art. In addition, since a collection amount ratio of heat medium is not proper, there is a problem that the heat medium in the storage room is decreased or increased. A small problem in temperature control has a great influence on a yield in a semiconductor manufacturing process, and thus precise control of this is more important than anything else.